Guanajuato state government accused of distributing unusable Chinese insulin

According to Mexican TV network Televisa, the Guanauato state government bought unauthorized Chinese medicines for public distribution through IMSS (Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social), but not only that, the supplier companies did not meet the minimum requirements, and were still granted direct contracts for almost 4 billion pesos ($200 million USD).

This unusable Chinese insulin, is not only ineffective, but it also puts the state’s population at risk.

The two companies in question are Distribuidora Internacional de Medicamentos y Equipo Médico S.A de C.V, and Intercontinental de Medicamentos S.A de C.V. These companies were initially disqualified as suppliers by Guanauato authorities for not meeting the minimum requirements; but nervertheless, Finance Secretary of Guanajuato, Ignacio Martin Solis, authorized direct contracts for both of them.

The insulin provided by these companies had presented irregularities since 2013, and the government not only did not sanction them, but inexplicably continued conducting business with both of them.

The state government declared that, during the administration of governor Miguel Marquez Marquez, these contracts have been granted directly, allegedly because all companies that entered the bid, did not meet the proper requirements.

Social Security patients in the state of Guanajuato, who are entitled to free of cost medicine, told Televisa network that sometimes the insulin is not available for up to 30 days, which forces them to buy it at drugstores with their own money.

In this regard, Guanajuato Health Secretary Ignacio Ortiz Aldana declared that the state government has never bought Chinese medicines.

“We’ve never bought Chinese insulin,” Ortiz Aldana said in an interview broadcast on Despierta with Televisa’s Carlos Loret de Mola when asked about the distribution of medication that was allegedly not responding in patients with diabetes.

The Health Secretary stated they have patient controls and no consequences have been detected in any of the IMSS hospitals statewide.

He also pointed out that the insulin prescribed complies with the basic framework requirements of the Federal Commission for Protection against Health Risks (Comisión Federal de Protección contra riesgos de salud: Cofepris).

When questioned about the documents where it is said that the medication is not having effect in some patients, he said that this is just an “isolated incident”, without giving more details.

Meanwhile, the undersecretary of Finance, Angel Isidro Macías Barrón, said that purchases of medicines are made with total transparency and recognized that some suppliers were sanctioned but not for this situation, but for the price of the product. He added that Guanajuato holds first place in satisfaction among health users.